Mlb

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Finally, rainbows. And not just one, but a matching set, twin reflections of light emerging from this endless string of injuries.

The first made an appearance Sunday morning. David Wright stepped into the cage and took batting practice. It was his first time facing live pitching since he injured his rib muscle during the World Baseball Classic.

The second made an appearance Sunday afternoon. On a blustery back field, Daniel Murphy put on his cleats and played five innings in a minor league game. It was his first game in weeks.

"It felt good," Murphy said. "It was a lot of fun to get back out there."

Both men have opening day earmarked. Both men believe seven days is sufficient time to get their reps in, their bodies ready.

"As I told both of them in the last four days," manager Terry Collins said, "'worst-case scenario, you miss the first six days. Worst-case scenario. That's not bad for us. That's not too bad. We'll take that.

"'The one thing we can't have is that you miss the first six weeks. That we have issues with. And that's why we'll monitor what their workload is."

But Wright is not planning on skipping those first six days. And neither is Murphy.

One day after taking swings for the first time - a few off a tee, a few off soft tosses - Wright made the leap into the cage. After taking ground balls at third base, Wright took several rounds of cuts. When he was done, Wright told reporters, "Check this off the list."

Wright is not expected to play in a game this afternoon, but squeezing into the lineup sometime this week is not out of the question.

"It's going to be important to play in some games at some point," Wright said. "And we only have a week left. So you can kind of do the math just as I can."

Murphy, out since mid-February with an intercostal strain, made his way out to Field 7 for a game against minor leaguers from the St. Louis Cardinals system. He went 1-for-2 with a walk. The hit came during his first plate appearance. Murphy waited six pitches before finding a ball he was able to sneak past the third baseman's glove. Asked about his timing, Murphy said, "It was bad."

"It was like trying to hit an aspirin," Murphy said. "I haven't had an at-bat since October. It was just OK."

But he was impressive in the field. In the second inning, he kick-started a 4-6-3 double play with a perfect flip to the shortstop. In the fifth, he called off several circling teammates and made a bucket catch on a windblown fly ball.

And just before he exited, Murphy chased down a ground ball hit near the second-base bag. His throw could not catch the runner, but it offered an optimistic glimpse of his range.

"As I progress, I'll be able to jam a couple more at-bats in, maybe get six or seven at-bats in, as long as I feel good," Murphy said.

But Collins doesn't necessarily want Murphy loading up on at-bats, not if it leads to a regression. He wants Wright and Murphy to proceed with caution. Wright acknowledged it's his natural instinct to be a little too "gung-ho" in situations like these.

"Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy," Wright said. "So I think they do a nice job of controlling that. And I think this is part of that."

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